Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover

Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover celebrates Penguin's 70th anniversary with an expansive collection of brilliant cover designs, replete with behind the scenes tales of how the covers came to be and a peek at some covers that never made the cut. Booklovers will easily identify with the fundamentals of this book: "A book cover demands our initial engagement with a work. You may not think a cover reflects your own thoughts of a book, but it evokes a response and inspires a reader's imagination to begin building the world within the pages created by the author." What makes the covers showcased in Cover to Cover unique is that the books are classics, so well-known that illustrators were given the freedom to break the conventional rules of cover art design. The result is an array of covers that are bold and unrestrained, simple yet dramatic, or coy but colorful. Overall, Cover to Cover is brimming with personality, not just because of the multi-varied illustrations, but because of the written commentary from editors, creative directors, writers, and illustrators. Not everyone worked well together but, at the end of the day, all parties involved collaborated to create some gorgeous works of art. As far as written commentary goes, a particular favorite comes from illustrator Riccardo Vecchio and his description of creating a moody watercolor painting for a collection of plays: "Roher Calligraphy ink, green, lemon yellow ink, lavender, magenta, and pink. It smells musky. Wet brush strokes dissolve non-waterproof ink, bleeding outwards. Liquefied pigment spreads like thunderous clouds in water drops held together by surface tension." Penguin Classics: Cover to Cover is a stunning collection that will appeal to artists, designers, bookworms, and bibliophiles who favor classic literary works.

This is a complete compendium of Penguin Classics with their brand new covers, and let me tell you, they are just gorgeous! The book gives you a peek at how the illustrators came to decide what the covers should look like. I have purchased several of these books, and will probably order more. Penguin books have published books that I was not even aware of, and it has opened my eyes to some really amazing books. If you are a book collector (as I am), and a book lover (as I am) this should be on your shelf. I love great books, and I am a sucker for a beautiful cover.

Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover is an enjoyable and worthwhile read, with something to offer most readers. Insiders in the publishing or design industries, as well as students of either, are offered insight into the guiding principles and creative processes of a company known for its gorgeous designs. In addition, simple lovers of books are offered a highly enjoyable gallery-like walk through a multitude of beautiful ones.

The build and print quality of this high-gloss (well, satin/eggshell to be precise) collection of covers is essential coffee table material. The commentaries accompanying the cover art allow the reader to peak into the minds of the creators and gain a greater appreciation for the creative effort behind each of these works of art. The originality and depth of most of the covers breath new life into familiar classics. I'm a sucker for a good cover, so I had no choice but to buy a book full of them. The only down side to this book is now that I've been exposed to so many of these incredible covers I need to buy all these Penguin classics. I'm sure that's just a coincidental effect that Penguin didn't contemplate when making this book.

Interesting book for a book cover designs lover.

Perhaps one can judge a book by its cover. That is the theme of this fascinating collection of classic Penguin book covers. The categories, including holiday and children's books, seem to be all-encompassing. This is a great book to browse time and again. Great to take along when long waits are expected such as doctor appointments. The reader can start on any page and never be out of sync. Perhaps a somewhat unusual book purchase, but I have found hours of entertainment thumbing through the glorious pages of this gem.

A fascinating read on the inspiration behind many of the fantastic covers currently being produced by Penguin. As you might imagine, this book is filled with beautiful illustrations of Penguin's finest covers currently in production. You'll want to loiter over each spread in this book.

Excellent item, securely packed, and promptly delivered. Excellent vendor. AAA+++. Purchaseers of this book should be aware, however, that the "classic" Penguin covers are actually quite contemporary designs and rather avant-garde art--NOT the "classic covers" from the cmopany's earlier years.,

Si se trata de un libro sobre cubiertas de productos editoriales, el diseño editorial del libro debe permitir apreciar las muestras ofrecidas. Sin embargo, el diseño del libro es estridente, caótico, busca protagonismo innecesario: no deja disfrutar del contenido.

Esta hermoso. Es enorme, lo voy a disfrutar bastante. Lo único que me gustaría es que estuviera más protegido el producto. Afortunadamente llegó en buenas condiciones.

The content is great- lots of pictures accompanied by comments from designers. The binding quality is unbelievably poor. I was reading it very gently and by the time I finished the book at least five pages fell out.

A useful bibliography of Penguin Classics presenting works of which I was unaware.

Se, come me, siete grafici o appassionati di grafica editoriale e illustrazione questo libro è una piccola grande miniera. Sia per i contributi di chi ha lavorato ai vari progetti sia per le soluzioni che si sono trovate per progettare l'ennesima edizione di Orogoglio e pregiudizio o di Alice nel paese delle meraviglie. Non aspettatevi un manuale di grafica editoriale, ma una "polaroid", un'istantanea, uno spaccato sul lavoro dell'ufficio grafico della Penguin (diretto da Paul Buckley) e tante tante belle copertine!